Fort Mill schools on lockdown now dismissed. Manhunt continues for 1 suspect.
Some schools in Fort Mill were placed on lockdown Friday afternoon as police sought suspects who fled on foot after a crash following a chase, officials said.
Several hours after the chase began, police said officers were still seeking one of three suspects. Two had been taken into custody.
The schools on lockdown were Catawba Ridge High School, Banks Trail Middle School, Riverview Elementary School and Doby’s Bridge Elementary School, said Joe Burke, spokesman for the Fort Mill school district.
”The incident is not related to the schools,” Burke said. “We took action after being notified by law enforcement. This was a preventative measure.”
The elementary schools dismissed Friday afternoon with extra security at the campuses, Burke said. The two affected middle and high schools dismissed at normal times, Burke said.
Four buses could not deliver students to neighborhoods near where law enforcement continued to work Friday afternoon, Burke said. Students assigned to those buses were picked up at the school by parents or guardians without any incident, Burke said.
The incident began in the early afternoon when Fort Mill officers attempted to make a traffic stop on Banks Road, said Maj. Bryan Zachary of the Fort Mill Police Department. The vehicle fled and was pursued by Fort Mill officers, Zachary said. The vehicle then crashed, Zachary said.
Fort Mill officers and York County Sheriff’s Office deputies, and K-9 teams, began searching for the three occupants, Zachary said. Two of the occupants, both males, have been taken into custody, Zachary said.
The third occupant being sought is a male wearing a gray hoodie, Zachary said.
Officers remained in the area near Banks Road Friday afternoon after 5 p.m. searching for the suspect, according to Zachary and Jeff Helms, Fort Mill Police Chief.
Fort Mill police and sheriff’s deputies sent out social media messages Friday afternoon on Twitter and Facebook that the suspects who were caught were in the Waterside neighborhood between the schools and the Catawba River.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
This story was originally published November 20, 2020 at 2:13 PM.
